Yes, the Northern Lights Are Reaching Texas Tonight
|
|
Time to read 4 min
A Rare Solar Storm is Lighting Up the Big Bend Sky
The Northern Lights have reached deep into the United States this week, and yes, they have made their way to Texas! Reports from across the state, from Austin and San Antonio to El Paso and right here in the Big Bend region, of magenta and red glows last night. Many could see it with the naked eye and captured rich color through their phone cameras!
It is a rare sight this far south, and our desert skies make it even more remarkable. At The Summit at Big Bend, we sit in one of the darkest regions in North America, giving you the best possible chance to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Taken last night in the Hill Country, which sits near the same latitude as Big Bend, shows what Texans witnessed last night. With clear skies, our desert horizon could look much the same tonight.
What’s Happening
A powerful sequence of solar flares erupted from the Sun earlier this week, releasing waves of charged particles called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). When these CMEs collide with Earth’s magnetic field, they create geomagnetic storms that send electrons spiraling along magnetic lines toward the poles. As those particles hit the atmosphere, they excite gases like oxygen and nitrogen, producing visible light in shades of green, red, and violet known as the aurora borealis.
Under normal circumstances, this glow stays confined to high latitudes near the Arctic Circle. But the current storm is unusually strong. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm watch through tonight, with Kp 7 activity expected between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Central Time, followed by moderate storming into the early morning hours.
That means the auroral oval, or the ring of energy around the poles, will expand much farther south than usual. With clear skies and Big Bend’s minimal light pollution, even a faint display can become visible on the northern horizon.
When and Where to Look
Peak Window:
NOAA’s latest forecast indicates that the strongest auroral activity will occur between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. CST, while the magnetic field remains most disturbed. Once the sky darkens fully, around 7 p.m. through 3 a.m., conditions remain favorable for visible light, even from our latitude.
Why this timing matters:
The geomagnetic field does not flare instantly. It rises and falls as solar particles interact with Earth’s magnetosphere. Tonight’s G4 window marks the period when that energy is strongest, so even after the sun sets, those charged particles will still be colliding with our atmosphere, creating the best visibility once the desert is dark.
Where to look:
Face north or northeast and keep your eyes low on the horizon. Look for faint red or pink glows that slowly shift or ripple. They might be subtle, but long exposures or Night Mode photography can reveal far more color than the human eye can see.
How to Capture It
Whether you are using a smartphone or a camera, a few key settings make all the difference!
With a Phone
Use a tripod or solid surface. Night Mode on most phones detects stability before allowing long exposures. A tripod unlocks 10 to 30 second captures that reveal full color with less noise.
-
Enable Night Mode manually.
iPhone: open Camera, tap the moon icon, then swipe the exposure time slider to its maximum. On a tripod, it can reach 30 seconds. Use the 3-second timer to prevent vibration.
Google Pixel: open Night Sight. If your phone is perfectly still and the sky is dark enough, it automatically activates Astrophotography Mode for multi-minute stacked exposures. A message confirms when it is active.
Samsung Galaxy: open Pro Mode or Expert RAW, select Night or Astro, set 10 to 30 seconds shutter and ISO 800 to 1600.
Clean your lens before each shot to prevent glare and smears.
Avoid nearby lights. Turn off flashlights, headlights, and cabin lights. Let your eyes adjust for ten minutes.
Take several frames. The aurora pulses unpredictably, so keep shooting in short bursts.
Handheld? Brace your elbows, hold still, and use the timer. You will still capture color, though with more noise.
With a Camera
Lens: 14–24 mm wide angle.
Aperture: f/1.4–f/2.8.
Shutter: 4–15 seconds for bright aurora, up to 30 seconds for brighter glow.
ISO: 1600–6400 depending on camera capability. Lower the better but make sure you have bright images!
Focus: manual at infinity using live view on a bright star.
White balance: 3500–4000 K.
Timer: 2-second delay or remote release.
Format: Shoot RAW for best editing and color retention.
Check each frame for sharp stars and adjust shutter or focus if they blur.
Why Big Bend is the Place to Be
The Summit at Big Bend sits inside the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, the largest certified dark-sky area on Earth. Our domes, caves, and hikes sit on more than 1,000 acres of desert with unobstructed horizons, making it an ideal location for rare celestial events.
Even if the glow appears faint, your phone or camera can reveal vivid shades of magenta, purple, or green drifting above the desert skyline. For most Texans, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the aurora without leaving the state!
Final Word
NOAA forecasts continue to show strong geomagnetic activity through the night, with the best viewing for our region beginning around sunset and continuing past midnight. Step outside, let your eyes adjust, face north, and take a few long-exposure shots.
Whether you capture a subtle red shimmer or a full wave of color, you will be witnessing one of nature’s rarest displays and doing it under some of the darkest skies in America.
